SAN ROQUE, SPAIN – OCTOBER 19: Jon Rahm of Spain acknowledges the crowd on the 18th hole on day three of the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters 2024 at Real Club de Golf Sotogrande on October 19, 2024 in San Roque, Spain. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images)
Joaquin Niemann, the 26 year old Chilean golf sensation, has opened up about his desire for a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The Torque GC captain, who plays in the Saudi-backed LIV league, has previously enjoyed success on the PGA Tour with victories at the 2019 Military Tribute at The Greenbrier and the 2022 Genesis Invitational before joining LIV.
Despite many players not looking back after moving to LIV, Niemann is keen on the idea of returning to his former stomping grounds. In a recent interview with Fox Sports, Niemann said: “I would love for a merger to happen because it would be for the best for the game.”
He further expressed his vision for the future, stating, “If they do a merger, it’s because they’re thinking about the big picture and what is best for the game, for the fans, and I would love for that to happen. For me, ideally it would be awesome to play PGA Tour events. As captain of my team, Torque, I am playing LIV Golf and I would love to play those 14 events as well as a few events I love from the PGA Tour.”
Joaquin Niemann hopes for a PGA and LIV merger (Image: Getty Images)
However, Niemann believes that the sentiment isn’t widely shared among professionals, adding, “To be honest, I don’t think there’s many people that would want to play all over the world.”
Golf enthusiasts are eagerly anticipating possible unification talks as deal-makers strive to forge an alliance between the rival tours. Despite prior scepticism of LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy remains hopeful about ‘s mediating potential due to his Saudi connections.
He recently stated: “He might be able to. He’s got , who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him. We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too.”
He further mused: “Yeah, I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is.”
“But obviously, Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?”
The former US President himself boasts that he could swiftly seal such a deal. During an appearance on the Lets Go! podcast with Bill Belichick and Jim Gray.
Trump asserted: “I could probably get it done. I would say it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done. I think we have much bigger problems than that. But I do think we should have one tour, and they should have the best players in that tour.”